Method for making table ice



March 26, 1935. G. POWNALL 1,996,050

METHOD FOR MAKING TABLE ICE 5 Filed Sept. 15, 1952 5 Sheets-Sheet 1Georye LPo'umaIl INVENTOR.

BY M n/W ATTORNEYS I5 Sheets-Sheet 2 ATTORNEYS G. L. POWNALL METHOD FORMAKING TABLE ICE Filed Sept. 15, 1932 March 26, 1935.

March 26, 1935. G, POWNALL 1,996,050

METHOD F OR MAKING TABLE ICE Filed Sept. 13, 1932 3 Sheets-Sheet 3eoryeLPouma ll INVENTOR.

ATTORNEYS Patented Mn. as, 1935 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 11 Claims.

The present invention relates to an improved method and apparatus forproducing commercially and in hotels and institutions small portions ofice such as cubes or small cylinders or rolls of clear artificial iceadapted for table use,

as in the water tumbler and the like.

An object is to provide such small clear artificial ice cubes and icerolls of cylinder shape with a mold or means which requires no cuttingof the cubes or rolls before use.

Another object is to provide a means whereby opaque cylindrical shapedice rolls may be formed and harvested without cutting.

Another object is to provide means for producing large numbers of suchice rolls and ice cubes joined by a very thin sheet of ice over one faceso that they may be easily broken away from the sheet for separating themass into in dividual rolls or cubes.

Another object of the invention consists in the provision of means ofthe kind described capable of producing the desired rolls or cubes ofeither clear or opaque ice in an unusually short period of time, e. g.,harvesting eachcan of ice from four to six times per twenty-four hourday as compared with the present practiced method of freezing a solidcake of ice in about two twenty-four hour days and then cutting it intocubes by expensive and dangerous machinery.

Another object is to provide means which are simple, efiicient, andreadily installed and which are capable of producing ice rolls and icecubes in both the stationary and removable can types of freezing tanksnow in commercial use, and to further provide for freezing said rolls orcubes from the exterior toward a. central plate and simultaneouslymoving impurities out of and above the mold where they are moved as afrozen or congealed mass exteriorly of the mold.

Another object is to provide means of this kind that are also adapted tothe production of ice rolls and ice cubes in the heretofore unused brinecooling tank which is separated from the conventional ice freezingtanks.

The invention also comprises certain details of form and arrangement andcombination of parts,

Fig. 3 is a fragmental perspective view of an ice cube forming frame ormold.

Fig. 4 is a cross sectional view taken on line 4-4 of Fig. 2 and showingalso the superficial aspects of a section 44 on Fig. 3.

Fig. 5 is a perspective view of a top can band and division bar for thedevice shown in Fig. 1.

Fig. 6 is a fragmental perspective view of a separator plate showing theair tubes mounted thereon.

Fig. 7 is an enlarged sectional view taken on line '7-7 of Fig. 6.

Fig. 8 is a cross sectional view of a stationary can type of icefreezing tank showing two modified means of adapting the invention tothe stationary can type of freezing tank.

Fig. 9 is a perspective view of a stationary can type of freezing tankinstallation in communication with a brine cooling tank, parts beingbroken away and showing the device of the invention adapted for use inthe brine cooling tank while the conventional freezing tank is left toits intended use in the production of large ice cakes.

Fig. 10 is a, view taken on line 1010 of Fig. 9.

Fig. 11 is a sectional view of a modified form of separator plates andforming frames of the invention.

Fig. 12 is a fragmental perspective view showing the bottom of amodification of the form shown in Fig. 11.

Fig. 13 is a fragmental perspective view of a modified form of separatorplate and air tubes forming a part of the invention.

Fig. 14 is a fragmental perspective view of a separator plate and a pairof forming frames showing a means of retaining the forming frames andplate in operative position.

Fig. 15 is a plan view showing the ice forming means of Fig. 1 adaptedto a freezing tank.

Fig. 16 is a plan view showing a device ofthe invention adapted to thestationary can type of freezing tank.

Fig. 17 is a perspective view of the ice can of Fig. 1 with a mod'iiedmeans of adapting the air tubes thereto.

Fig. 18 is a view partly in cross section showing the air connection online 18-18 of Fig. 15.

Fig. 19 is a perspective View showing a modified form of cube formingframe of the invention.

Fig. 20 is a perspective view showing a top can hand and division bar asa modification of the structure shown in Fig. 5.

In order to provide a basis for a better understanding and appreciationof the advantages of the present invention over present day practice,

the present day practicewill be briefly outlined, as to the operationsin producing ice cubes for table use in a commercial ice plant and infreesing tanks commonly found in hotels, hospitals, clubs, etc. Ownersof domestic electric refrigerators frequentlyfind that the capacity ofthe home refrigeratorisnot equal to requirements in producing sufiicientquantities and quality of ice cubes. and ice manufacturers have beenquick to install cutting machinery such as has all along been employedby hotels and caterers for sawing up the well known commercial threehundred pound block of ice into small cubes. This method is costly andwasteful, entailing fully forty per cent the operator and which consumespower to operate. On the basis of a unit of brine tank freezing spaceper unit of time it is possible, by means of the present inventi0n,'t0increase the usable ice cube or ice roll output eight times; and inaddition to save the cost of the ice cutting machine, also the cost ofthe power to operate the machine and of the labor of a man to operatethe machine.

The means and method of the invention consist in placing sheet-likemolds vertically in ice freezing cans which are preferably adapted toreceive two of such molds with a plate of the invention interposedbetween them and carrying the necessary air bubbling tubes when it isdesirable to produce crystal clear cubes or rolls for table use. It isto he understood that the method of production is adaptable to the rapidproduction of ice for any other use and that if desired this may beopaque ice, in which case the air bubbling tubes may be omitted.

The ice can of the invention is preferably madeintwinunitcansinordertoreadilyadaptitto use in existing stationary orremovable can type freezing tanks. It will be understood, however, thatthe invention herein contemplates the use of single cansas well as morethan two cans, if it should be desirable to install a freezing tankintended exclusively for freezing ice cubes and/or rolls of theinvention, or if the present tank is of such size as to accommodate onlya standard one hundred (100) or two hundred (300) pound can. For mostcommercial installationa'however, it is preferable to use the abovedescribed twin unit which will fit into the commonLv used stationary canspace or may be used interchangeably with the ordinary removable icecan.

The cans 30 each have fiat sides 31 spaced apart at the top a littlemore widely than at the bottnm. End walls 32 are likewise tapered sothat the mold frames with the ice frozen therein may be readily removed.Each can is preferably bound on all four sides transversely intermediateits top and bottom by a band 33 to preclude bulging of the side walls31. Thisband 33 may be secured in any suitable manner such as by spotwelding. A top can band 34 surrounds the outermost walls of the pair orgroup of cans and has a longitudinally adjacentpairofwallsiil.Thecans30aretherefore definitely positioned with an amplecirculatingspace38betweentheminordertoinsurecontactwiththefreezingbrlneonthefourmaior facesofeaehcan.Thecani'nthisformmaybe suspendedasshown atthecenterofrlg.8,byreetingthebottomedgeofthetopband34upon a suitable ledge 3'1 projectingfrom parallel stringers38. Holes39inthecanbandareadaptedtoreceivecanhooksforhandling'thecanand inserting itin and removing itfromthe freezing tank. lachofthecanswisadaptedtorcmovably receive aseparator plate 40 which, when adaptedtobeusedintheproductionofclear andtransparent ice. p 'v erably carries air bub-'blingmeansconsistinginatopblockflhavinganopening42toreceiveafiexibleairtube43 see Figs. 9 and 15) in the topthereof or individual separateopeningsnotshownandwhichhasairtubes44disposedonopp0site sidesoftheplate40andcommunicatingwiththeopening42insaid block. Each face of theseparator plate 40 is adapted to receive a mold frame 45 preferablyformed of molded rubber or other suitable flexible material. The mold 45has a plurality of transverse spaced slightly tapering but substantiallycylindrical holes 48 therethrough in which water is adapted to be frozento form the ice rolls of cylindrical shape. 0n the inner face 4'! ofmold 45 are numerous protuberances or lugs 48 which uniformly space theface 47 slightly from the plate 40 when the parts are in operativeposition. A longitudinal groove 50 seats air tube 44 so that-the airwhich is forced down through the tube may freely bubble through thenarrow space between the plate and the mold and thus agitate the waterduring the freezing operation. As shown in Fig. 3, the mold may take adiil'erent form and be accommodated to other shapes of ice pieces, e.g., the'formation of cubes of ice. In this form the mold 450 may have amarginal ledge 480aswellasthelugs 48. Thetaperofthecan bodies and thelesser taper of the molds 45 and 450 is shown somewhat exaggerated inthe draw- .ings, while in reality this longitudinal taper is suflicientmerely to-enable easy removal of the ice and mold after the warm waterimmersion of the can. The length of the ice cylinders or ice cubes isfor all practical purposes identical whether the cylinders or cubes betaken from the top or bottom portion of the mold.

In utilizing the can and mold structures as shown in Figs. 1, 2, and 3,the ice manufacturer would merely replace one or more of his ordinaryremovable ice cans with the units ofthe invention thus far described.With a brine temperature and circulation rate at which ice would becompleted for harvest in the ordinary can in forty-eight hours, themanufacturer would be able to harvest the ice rolls or ice cubes in thedevice of the invention once every four hours.

The procedure in making ice is substantially that commonly known in theart, namely, filling the cans with water, inserting them in the freezingtank, coupling'the air lines to the air bubbling tubes if clear ice isdesired, and then upon completion of the freezing operation removing thecan and dipping it into a thawing bath whereupon the separator plate,molds and theice contained therein are withdrawn from the can as a unit.

Since the protuberances 48 are very small, these cylinders or cubes ofice are connected together only by a very thin sheet of ice which isperforated at intervals by reason of the protuberances 48. Afterseparation of the molds from the oppoinders are easily flexed or pushedout of the mold.

These cubes or cylinders may then be forthwith packaged and placed in alow temperature storage until ready for delivery.

In hotels and other establishments that have their own ice making plant,it will be readily seen that at no hot weather period will anestablishment with even a small ice plant be unable to produce anadequate supply of cubes or rolls. Furthermore, when there is a heavyrequirement for ice cubes or ice rolls a greater number of'ice cans andmolds of the invention may be put into service, and at other times blockice may be frozen if considered desirable. The instantinterchangeability of the cans of the invention with the existingequipment provides a most flexible arrangement for any manufacturer ofice who may have an outlet or use for ice cubes or cylinders. Therapidity with which the cubes or ice rolls are frozen enables amanufacturer to allot a relatively small number of can spaces to thedevices of the invention for the production of ice cylinders or icecubes in amounts sufficient for normal requirements.

In Fig. 9 there is shown the general arrangement of a stationary can iceplant including a brine cooling tank 51 having an overflow or surgesection 52 into which the can units 30, for example as shown in Fig. 1,may be placed thus utilizing for ice freezing a space which washeretofore unused for that purpose. By this arrangement it is possiblefor the manufacturer to add equipment of the invention for making clearartificial ice cubes or clear artificial ice rolls without reducing thecapacity of his stationary can ice block freezing equipment. Thestationary cans 53, however, are readily adaptable to receive molds ofthe invention for the production of ice cylinders or rolls or ice cubes.Such an arrangement is shown in Fig. 14 wherein the usual molds 45 andseparator plate 40 are held together at the sides and bottoms byU-shaped clips 54 to provide units that can be lowered into the canswhereupon the usual filling of the cans from the bottom as well as thebubbling of air if desired, may be carried on, after which the freezingprocess is rapidly completed and the plate and molds removed so that theice cylinders or cubes can be harvested.

If desired a relatively large number of separator plates 400 may beattached to a top member 55 and the molds 45 associated therewith inpairs on alternate plates in a larger can. In Fig. 12 these same platesindicated at 4000 are secured to or made integral with U-shapedbottoming plates 56 having perforations 57 in order to attach this formto stationary types of cans.

If desired, and particularly for embodiments that are wider than theordinary ice can, the separator plate 40 maybe made wider and may beprovided with several pairs of air bubbling tubes 44, the blocks 41which support the tubes being connected by pipes 58 having a common airintake arrangement 59.

In Fig. 15 there is shown a fragment of an ordinary ice freezing tank 60with a preferred form of the cube and/or roll freezing cans in position.The air lines 61 extend longitudinally between the rows of cans and areprovided at intervals with T-connections 62 to which the flexible tubes63 are attached for supplying the air to the center of blocks 41. y

In Fig. 16 there is shown a freezing tank 65 with stationary ice cans 66having the device of 3 the invention placed therein for freezing icerolls .or cubes.

In Fig. 17 there'is' shown the removable type of can of the presentinvention modified by building the air bubblingtubes into the caninstead of attaching it-to the separator plate. In this instance the airtubes 440 may extend alongone longitudinal corner of each compartment ofthe can and then downwardly across the center of the bottom, as at 67,in the form of a perforated pipe. A separator plate without the airtubes and molds are used similar to those shown in Figs. 2 and-3 savethat the groove 50 is not used and onelongitudinal outer corner is cutaway to accommodate pipe 440 in the can. As shown in Fig. 20, the topcan band 34 may be made of angle iron so as to provide a spacing flange68 constituted by one leg of the angle iron. The spacing flange 68cooperates with the edges of similar flanges on adjacent cans to assuresufficient and uniform brine circulating channels between the can unitsor groups.

The structure shown in Fig. 19 is intended for insertion in the ordinarystandard removable ice can and consists of a plurality of intersectingvertical strips or plates which are in turn interlocked with spacedhorizontal plates or strips. The long vertical strips or sheets 69 andthe shorter ones 70 may interlock somewhat after the fashion of the oldand well known egg crate separators and the horizontal plates 71cooperate therewith in like manner. This forms a plurality ofintersecting partitions providing hollow molds for ice cubes. In eachwall of each mold is an aperture or perforation 72 affordingcommunication in each direction with; adjacent mold spaces. This allowsfor the bubbling of agitating air through a body of water in theordinary ice can during the freezing operation so that a multiplicity ofclear ice cubes may be formed and connected only by the very tiny lugsoccasioned by perforation 72. In removing the ice cubes after freezingwith the device in this form, the usual thawing bath conditions thestandard ice can (not shown) for the removal of the molding frame 73 andthe cubes therein as a unit. The plates or strips may then be pulledapart and the ice cubes freed therefrom.

The method of freezing the small portions of clear transparent iceconsists essentially in freezing each individual portion from theexterior of the can toward the center, where the removable dividingplate serves to direct the flow of water with the impurities thrown outfrom the frozen portion upwardly. The pressure of the agitating air isof sufficient strength to have the circulating water to flow over thetops of the molds from the beginning of the operation. This results inprogressively building up from the top of the mold and the side of thecan a strip'of congealed impure ice which is entirely separate from theice cubes or ice rolls to be used.

Substantially this same segregation of impuritieson the top of the moldtakes place in-the use of the mold frame shown in Fig. 19. With thisform there is also employed agitating air'of suidcient pressure tosimilarly build up a flow of the unfrozen water onto the top of the moldwith results as previously explained. This is made possible by havingthe perforations 72so arranged the im-,

in Fig. 2 is particularly novel and advantageous in itself since, inaddition to its ornamental appearance due to its suggestion of aconformity, in the diminutive, to thegeneral shape of water tumblers,these ice rolls do not have the tendency to tipping forwardly onto theupper lip of the user when draining a glass of water iced with therolls. Experience shows that a glass of water with angular or cubicalice pieces therein usually causes the drinker to quite unconsciouslyseparate and distort his lips to hold the floating ice cubes back. withthe ice rolls of the invention the user can comfortably sip the beveragefrom the glass without this annoyance.

Cylindrical table ice for the drinking glass is capable of production inthe domestic mechanical refrigerator in which a small section of mold,as showninFig.3 isplacedintheusualpan tobe subject to freezing in thechilling coils in the well known manner. The small section of mold isnot illustrated since its arrangement flatwise in the usual pan isclearly understandable.

Reference is made to my copending applications for Patent Serial No.588,175 filed January 22, 1932, allowed on August 8, 1934; and SerialNumber 632,924 iiled September 13, 1932.

What is claimed is:

1. The method of freezing small portions of ice of cylindrical shapecomprising disposing a removable sheet mold having cylindrical borestherein into a container of water in communication with a refrigeratingsystem, and freezing the water from the exterior inwardly, agitatingsaid body of water along the inner-face of the mold to throw out uponfreezing of said cylindrical shape ice portions the suspended mattercontained therein.

2. The method of freezing small portions of ice of cylindrical shapecomprising disposing a removable slab mold having cylindrical borestherein into a container of water in communication with a refrigeratingsystem, freezing the body of water from the exterior inwardly, agitatingsaid body of water to throw out upon freezing of said cylindrical shapeice portions the suspended matter contained therein and causing saidsuspended matter to congeal at an isolated point from said cylindricalshape ice portions.

3. The method of freezing small portions of ice of cube shape comprisingdisposing a slablike mold having cube shapes therein into a container ofwater in communication with a refrigerating system, agitating said bodyof water along one face of the slab to throw out upon freezing of saidcube shape ice portions thesuspended matter contained therein andcausing said suspended matter to congeal at an isolated point from saidcube shape ice portions.

4. The method of producing small clear ice portions which consists inintroducing into a confined body of water a mold sheet having suitablyshaped apertures therein, freezing said body of water from the exteriorinwardly in the direction of the axes of the apertures withagitationwhereby impurities in the water may separate and becomeisolated from the ice formed in the apertures, then removing the moldand stripping the ice portions from the mold.

5. The method of producing small ice portions comprising introducinginto a container of water a pair of slab-like mold forms having smallsuitably shaped apertures therein. inserting a plate between the formsinslightly spaced relation to each, disposing the container in arefrigerating system to effect freezing of the water in the containerfrom the exterior inwardly to the said plate, then removing the plateand molds, then stripping the molds from the plate and removing the iceportions from the molds.

6. The method of forming cylindrical ice portions for table usecomprising forming cylindrical apertures transversely into a thick sheetof material, disposing the sheet vertically in a container of water tobe frozen substantially in contact with a wall of the container, thenfreesing the water from the exterior of the container inwardly and thenremoving the sheet from the container and the ice cylinders from'theapertines in the sheet.

7. The method of freezing clear cylindrical ice portions comprisingvertically disposing in a container of water a pair of removable moldmembers having transverse cylindrical bores and an interposed dividingplate between said members, then agitating the water in the containeralong the plate while freezing the same from the exterior of thecontainer to said plate whereby suspended matter in the water isisolated from the water frozen in the bores, then removing the molds andplate from the container and removing the molds from the plate and theice from the cylindrical bores in the molds.

8. The method of producing cylindrical ice portions for the drinkingglass which comprises placing a relatively thick sheet of material withcylindrical apertures therein substantially in contact with a wall of acontainer of water and freezing the water from the exterior of thecontainer inwardly in the direction of the axis of the apertures.

9. The method of freezing a multiplicity of clear ice portions for thedrinking glam which consists in disposing relatively thick sheet moldsvertically in a can, introducing a central plate spacedly between themolds, introducing a quantity of water into the can, then agitating thewater on each side of the central plate while freezing brine iscirculated about the can for freezing ice from'the exterior of the cantoward said plate whereby impurities are carried upwardly onto the topedges of said mold where they also congeal, then removing the plate andmolds with the ice portions formed therein.

10. The method of producing small ice portions for the drinking glasswhich comprises placing relatively thick sheets of material withapertures therein substantially in contact with walls of a container ofwater, freezing the water from -the exterior of the container inwardlyin the direction of the axes of the apertures and simultaneouslyagitating the water adjacent the faces of the sheets remote from thewalls ofthe container.

r 11. The method of producing small ice portions for the drinking glasswhich comprises placing a relatively thick sheet of material withapertures therethrough substantially in contact with a wall of acontainer of water and freezing the water from the exterior of thecontainer inwardly in the direction of the axes of the apertures.

GEORGE L. POWNALL.

